Ex-cops hold up traffic on The Mall, demand reinstatement

LAHORE:

Hundreds of former policemen blocked The Mall for several hours on Monday protesting against the Police Department for not renewing their contracts last month. 

The protesters were ex-army men who had been recruited in 2003 as constables and head constables on contract basis. Originally, 1,365 ex-army men were recruited for five years to the Punjab Constabulary’s 7-battalion to perform security duties in Lahore. Their contracts were renewed four times before their services were terminated on June 12.

They blocked The Mall at around noon. They clashed with policemen on duty at Charing Cross who tried to remove them from the road.

Gulzar, one of the protesters, fainted allegedly from beating by DSP Safdar Kazmi and his guards. He was taken to Mayo Hospital.

Muhammad Riaz told The Express Tribune that they were holding a peaceful demonstration when, “our former colleagues snatched our banners and started manhandling us”.

The cops soon backed off and the protesters were allowed to continue the demonstration.

The protesters said that they had been sacked without prior notification and demanded that they be reinstated and allowed to work till the age of retirement, 60 years, or be given 36 months’ salary. They said they had not received any severance pay.

Operations DIG Haider Ashraf and Civil Lines Division SP Haroon Yayha tried to persuade them to take their protest to the CCPO’s office nearby. They refused.

Shakeel Ahmad said CCPO Amin Wains had promised to renew their contracts in a month. “Nothing happened…false promises won’t turn us away. We will not budge an inch till the notification of renewal of our contracts or payment equivalent to 36 salaries.”

The Civil Lines SP requested them to end the agitation and collect their new contracts from the Police Lines.

DIG Ashraf said, “There are rules we have to follow. We cannot, on our own, reinstate them to their previous positions at once.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2015.